Anthurium batistae Croat, O.Ortiz & Baldini, 2015

Ortiz, Orlando O., Croat, Thomas B. & Baldini, Riccardo M., 2015, Two new species of Anthurium section Xialophyllium (Araceae) from Panama, Phytotaxa 219 (3), pp. 253-260 : 256-259

Anthurium batistae Croat, O.Ortiz & Baldini , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2–3 )

The species is characterized by its terrestrial habit, elongate internodes, mostly deciduous cataphylls, subterete petioles, narrowly ovate narrowly long-acuminate blades which are rounded at base and dry moderately dark brown with one pair of basal veins and 4–5 pairs of primary lateral veins as well as by the lanceolate green spathe, prominently stipitate purplish red narrowly cylindroid spadix.

Type:— PANAMA. Veraguas: Parque Nacional Santa Fe, La Sabaneta, 1240 m, 8°40’33”N 80°59’30”W, 30 October 2014, Juvenal Batista, Ángela Cano & Mathieu Perret 1215 (holotype, PMA!).

Terrestrial herb to less than 1 m tall; internodes elongate, 6.5–9 cm long, 6 mm diam.; drying medium yellow-brown; cataphylls 2–2.5 cm long, mostly soon deciduous with a few remnants at node; petioles subterete, 19.5–22.5 cm long, 1.5–2 mm diam.; blades narrowly ovate, 18–19 × 9.2–10.5 cm, 1.8 times longer than wide, slightly shorter than the petioles, broadest in lower 1/3, narrowly long-acuminate at apex, rounded at base, drying moderately dark brown, slightly paler and yellowish green below; basal veins one pair; collective veins arising from the only basal veins or the lowermost pair of primary lateral veins, 6–8 mm from the margin; primary lateral veins 4–5 pairs, arising at 55–60° angle, prominently loop-connecting the primary lateral veins; tertiary veins raised above, prominently raised below; upper and lower surfaces lacking short pale lineations. Inflorescence erect; peduncle 22 cm long, 1.5 mm diam.; spathe lanceolate, 2.5 × 0.6 cm, spreading-reflexed, green weakly tinged with purple; spadix 3.2 cm long, 3 mm diam., narrowly cylindroid, faintly purplish red, prominently stipitate, stipe 2 cm long, 1 mm diam., faintly tinged red; flowers 3 visible per spiral. Berries not seen.

Etymology:— The species is named in honour of Juvenal Batista, a young Panamanian Botanist who collected this new species for the first time.

Distribution:— This species is known only from the type locality in Veraguas Province, Santa Fe, Panama ( Fig. 4 ).

Habitat and Ecology:— Anthurium batistae grows at 1240 m in a Premontane rainforest life zone according to the classification of zones proposed by Holdridge et al. (1971).

Phenology:— October. Further investigations are required to determine exact flowering and fruiting seasons.

Conservation status:— According to IUCN (2001), Anthurium batistae would be considered as Data Deficient (DD).

Discussion:— Anthurium batistae is similar to A. microspadix , but this latter species has shorter petioles, proportionately narrower blades, inflorescences with shorter peduncles, longer spathes, a shorter stipe and yellowish green stipe and spadices ( Table 2).

Anthurium batistae is also related to others species of section Xialophyllium with subcordate blades such A. monteazulense , A. myosuroides , A. patens , A. holquinianum and A. davidsoniae . Anthurium monteazulense differs by having upper internodes all short (1–1.5 cm long) versus very elongated internodes (6–9 cm long), blades with 7–9 pairs of primary lateral veins (vs. 4–5 pairs of primary lateral veins) and green to yellowish-green spadix (vs. purplish red spadix); A. myosuroides differs by having shorter petioles (4–13 cm long) versus petioles longer (19–22.5 cm long), blades with 3–4 pairs of basal veins (vs. 1 pairs of basal veins) and a yellowish spadix (vs. purplish red spadix); A. patens differs by having blades with 2–4 pairs of basal veins and a sessile or slightly stipitate spadix (2 mm long) versus a prominently stipitate spadix (2 cm long) and a pale green to dark green spadix; A. holquinianum differs by having blades with 3–5 pairs of basal veins, a cream to creamy white spadix that is usually 10–18 cm long at anthesis (vs. spadix less than 4 cm long) and A. davidsoniae differs by having 3–4 pairs of basal veins and a yellow-green spadix at anthesis.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Anthurium batistae in its habitat at the type locality (Veraguas province, Santa Fe National Park, around La Sabaneta). A. In its habitat. B. Blades with one pair of basal veins. C. Flowering spadix. D. Cataphylls deciduous with a few remnants at node (Photo Juvenal E. Batista).

FIGURE 3. Anthurium batistae. Holotype specimen: Panama. Veraguas: Parque Nacional Santa Fe, La Sabaneta, 1240 m, 8°40’33”N 80°59’30”W, 30 October 2014, Juvenal Batista, Ángela Cano & Mathieu Perret 1215 (Photo PMA Herbarium).

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Anthurium monteazulense (circle) and Anthurium batistae (star).